Gorgeous. Fearless.
Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you
want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have
caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs.
She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.Gemma seems
to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex,
the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer
they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no
going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever.
She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi
and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the
next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing
something is different. Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more
beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price.
And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying
with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers
and unimaginable secrets.

I've only read two-thirds of the Trylle Trilogy so far, but that has already been enough to make me fall in love with Amanda Hocking's books! Her creatures? They're always beautifully captivating, and that's no different in this first book for her brand new Watersong series!

Right off the bat, my favourite thing about this book is the sister relationship between Gemma and Harper. As a girl with her own adoring big sis, I couldn't help but smile at the accuracy — especially about how different they are! Harper is practical, straightforward, and a little overprotective of her little sister; Gemma is carefree, openhearted, and in love with swimming. They're polar opposites, yet their perspectives create a fun dynamic that really works.

There are two sets of romances in this book — one for each sister — and both are love-triangle-free and undeniably sweet! ♥ But while Gemma's relationship with the boy next door, Alex, is too adorable for words, my favourite is of Harper and Daniel's. They meet on hilariously embarrassing terms and continue on a little tense, until Daniel manages to break the safe-playing girl out of her shell. I kept giggling into my hand, it was that fun!

But as adorable as this book is, I kept feeling like it was missing something. The characters are sweet but lack a little depth; the siren lore is cool but nothing mind-blowingly original; and it's very predictable. I never had any problem setting it down before finishing, which is trouble for a girl who's used to one-sit reads!

With a sweet factor that breaks the scale and a sisterly bond that will warm your heart, Wake is a fantastic start to a bound-to-be great series! I wasn't as captivated with it was I was with her other books, but Amanda Hocking is still an author to watch out for. :)

BUY or BORROW?: Flaws aside, I still think this book is definitely worth picking up (and certainly buy-worthy enough with that cover)!

29 comments:

This is such a beautiful review. And it sounds like a beautiful read. :) It's a shame about the predictability and the unoriginal siren stuff. That's why I tend to stay away from those kind of books, they always end up disappointing me. :( Brilliant review, Mimi! :)

You had me at Amanda Hocking (; LOL I'm one of her biggest fans too! I feel like I've been waiting on this book forever and you just made that wait harder. I like that the sister relationship between Harper and Gemma is actually developed instead of just saying, "They're sisters. They share the same parents." Because sisters totally argue sometimes and are definite opposites MOST of the time -- I should know! :P And where can you go wrong with a sweet boy named Alex?

Fantabulous review, Mimiiiiiii!!! <3333333 I can't wait to get my hands on AH's new book! (:

It's so great that this book portrays strong sibling relationships. I just want to read this book because of that ! :DThe romances seem very cute and I can't wait to find out how cute it is ! It's too bad that there's something missing to make the book very special, but I'm still very interested.Lovely review, Mimi ! :) <3

I don't really like siren novels but I do love books with a sister-sister relationship (I'm the protective big sis!) so that's a big selling point for me as I consider what to read next. And yay for no love triangles!

Oh I love when people meet under hilariously embarrassing circumstances! Kind of like in Of Poseidon, that first scene had me crying I was laughing so hard:) The double romance in this one sounds fantastic, but I'm a little disappointed you felt like there was something missing with the characters. I love to love characters (or hate them, as long as I feel something), so I think I'll wait on this one. Thanks for the outstanding review Mimi!

The premise to this sounds awesome and you have certainly convinced me to pick up a copy soon! Sorry you had some issues with this book, but I'm glad for the majority of it you enjoyed it! Fab review! :)

Excellent review Mimi! I love the fact that there are two romances in this story and that they are both sweet, definitely something to look forward to reading about. Plus, stories with sisters are my favorite too!

I have been on the lookout for this one. I like the idea of sisters, two love triangle free relationships built on embarassing circumstances...I just wish it was a bit better. I will have to try and check it out. Thanks for the informative review, Mimi.

I loved Alex and Gemma! They were so cute but Harper and Daniel were funny too. I liked they little bickering arguments. I haven't read many siren books so the lore seemed a little unique to me. It was a bit slow and more of set up book was my complaint. But still worth the read.

Yay for no love triangles!! And yay for sweet and caring sister relationships! I'm glad you enjoyed this book, despite that it had it's predictable parts. I still haven't read any Amanda Hocking :( I even own the entire Tyrell series!..lol Great review!

Great review Mimi! I've been so curious about this one, so it's promising to hear you enjoyed it. It does suck though that you felt it was missing something! I always hate that. I'm definitely intrigued and would love to know more about the sisters relationships!

I'm hoping that this series improves a bit with LULLABY. (Which, I'm definitely going to want to read.) I think we've talked a little bit about how we felt something was just missing from WAKE. But I, like you, ADORED Daniel/Harper. I just wanted to hug them!

The premise is fascinating and I agree, the cover IS beautiful. I've always been a sucker for those lovely underwater covers! :) Even though you didn't find this book to be mindblowing or amazing, I'm still glad you enjoyed it. Brilliant review!

I've never read a book by Amanda Hocking but I've had my eyes on this one for a long time now. I also have a love-hate relationship with predictable-non-original-funny books but they always make me feel fuzzy all over by the end. Thanks for sharing, Mimi!

Wow, two sisters, two relationships and not a love triangle in sight? Is that even possible?! I love that! I alsi love that Gemma and Harper are so different, that sort of thing has great potential and I'm sorry Hocking didn't follow through and develop them enough. Despite the few issues, that something that was missing, the underdeveloped characters and lack of originality, this sounds like a pretty interesting read. Lovely review, Mimi!

Bum deal about the predictability because I love the sound of the sisters relationship and the romances. Who doesn't love awkward encounters that lead to fun little flings? Maybe as the series continues, more of a WOW factor will be revealed.

I have yet to read any Amanda Hocking novels. I know, shame on me. I might not start with this one, but I do plan to read something of her soon-ish.

Two great characters with a nice sisterbond, no love-triangle, but sweet relatioships: I'm in! :D Sorry to hear that there was something missing, but I'm glad that you enjoyed this book anyway. I love the cover <3 and I'll definitely give it a try!

I tried to comment yesterday but ut wouldn't go through.I have her Trylle trilogy but haven't read them yet. The sweet relationships definitely sounds good. I may give this one a try, I'm not sure yet. Great review though!

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About Me

Mimi Valentine

I'm just an enthusiastic 15-year-old girl who loves to read and blog about what I read. Anything else you need to know should be on the "About Me" or "Policies" pages on my blog!

I definitely accept ARCs or already released books for review, and I'm also available to participate in any blog tours or book reveals too. If anything, please don't hesitate to email me any time for any reason at mimivalentine@hotmail.ca! :)